“The changes are like day and night. The music gives the kids something to focus on, and when they start focusing, they do better in school.”
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“Being a musician all these years and knowing what a guitar meant to me as a kid, I started asking a lot of my musician friends for their old guitars that were sitting in the corner collecting dust,” says Ray Nelson about his inspiration to start Guitars Not Guns, a youth mentoring program that puts musical instruments into the hands of children in foster care.
Supported by the Gibson Foundation and based near Atlanta, this grassroots organization is the brainchild of Nelson and his wife Louise, who use the power of music to help children between the ages of 8 to18. The group’s goal is to give disadvantaged and at-risk children a creative outlet with which to express themselves. No child who wants to participate in the program is turned away for lack of funds.
To date, Guitars Not Guns has provided free guitars and lessons to more than 300 children. Through the recent generosity of the Gibson Foundation and Gibson Baldwin Music Education (GBME)—the member of the Gibson Family of Brands dedicated to providing high-quality, entry-level instruments—Guitars Not Guns is now able to reach out to more kids in need.
Impressed by the dedication and commitment of the all-volunteer group, Gibson signed on to a three-year commitment this spring to support the group. In its initial contribution, Gibson provided Epiphone and GBME guitars to organizational chapters in four states—California, Virginia, New Mexico, and Georgia. As new chapters continue to open across the country, the demand for instruments and volunteers is increasing.
“Being a musician all these years and knowing what a guitar meant to me as a kid, I started asking a lot of my musician friends for their old guitars that were sitting in the corner collecting dust.”
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The idea for the Guitars Not Guns program began over a decade ago after Ray and Louise decided to become foster parents. Their children had grown and moved out of the house and the Nelsons were experiencing the effects of an empty nest. Nelson, a professional musician, had recently retired from a 30-year road career playing throughout the Midwest and California.
Nelson recalls that time, “My wife approached me about getting a foster child. She was still working and I was just lazing around the house.” The couple soon opened their home—and hearts—to the idea that ultimately changed many lives.
“We started out with one child and then it became another child and before I knew it, we had four teenagers—two boys and two girls,” says Nelson. The couple went “from a quiet house to teenagers running and yelling in the halls, PTA, and two dozen eggs for breakfast every morning,” Nelson laughs.
Through foster parenting classes and training, the Nelsons learned about the plight of foster children—especially the teens. The Nelsons learned that these children lead a nomadic life, sometimes living in four to six homes during their teen years. “Sometimes all they would have would be one bag of clothes—no one wants teenagers, you see,” says Nelson.
It didn’t take long for Nelson to realize these kids needed something to focus on, something to occupy their time in a productive way and hopefully instill some self-confidence in these kids. Nelson wanted to give them something to focus on to help them with their troubled and often tragic young lives. “It was either music or sports to occupy them,” says Nelson.
He continues, “I started collecting guitars and passing them along to foster kids. Then it went beyond that. People found out what I was doing and I started getting requests for guitars for poor and needy kids, and kids who had been sick. It kind of got me hooked. We always got the guitars we needed.”
Nelson’s program operated strictly on donations and the kindness of strangers for the better part of the ’90s. In 2002, Guitars Not Guns was granted non-profit organization status. Volunteers from all walks of life continue to donate their time and talents to ensure the organization’s continued success. Attorneys, law enforcement officials, and professional musicians have all volunteered to give guitar lessons to the program’s participants.
“I started collecting guitars and passing them along to foster kids. Then it went beyond that. People found out what I was doing and I started getting requests for guitars for poor and needy kids, and kids who had been sick. It kind of got me hooked.”
Over the years, Nelson has witnessed first-hand the impact his program has had over young lives. “The changes are like day and night. The music gives the kids something to focus on, and when they start focusing, they do better in school."
Recalling one such success story Nelson says, “We had one boy named Daniel who didn’t really like himself, but he started taking lessons. He took to it like a duck to water and got a lot of one-on-one time. He ended up starting a teen band and it turned him around.” Another success story is that of a shy, 10-year-old boy who entered a talent contest at his elementary school about six months after he started taking lessons and took home first place. “I’m sure some of these kids will go on to make a name for themselves as guitarists.”
For more information about the Gibson Foundation go here.
For more information about the Gibson/Baldwin Music Education (GBME) go here.
For more information on how you can start a local chapter of Guitars Not Guns go here.
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